Faith, Author at FollowingJesusUS.com

The Blessing: The Netherlands!

Renewed & Refreshed!

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me”-Psalm 51:10

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”- Pslam 51:12

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”-Isaiah 40:31

“he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit”-Titus 3:5

Renewal and Refreshment is what comes after Confession & Repentance ?

The joy and peace that our Lord offers is indescribable. It fills the heart and the soul. There is no force on this earth that can diminish it. For it grows at God’s command.

It lifts us up. It’s kind of like giving birth. They tell you as you prepare for the birth of your child, that is will be such a joyful experience that the pain of childbirth will simply be forgotten. And it is 🙂

And that is exactly what feeling Renewed and Refreshed feel like. The pain of our sins and confession recedes rapidly and completely, leaving only the true joy of being Renewed and Refreshed.

So don’t wait to Confess & Repent, because being Renewed & Refreshed comes immediately after ?

Sin, Confession & Repentance

In Revelations 2:6, Jesus talks of how He “hates” the Nicolaitans. It’s not often we hear from Jesus that He hates anyone! So therefore, it must be important.

Who were the Nicolaitans? They were a people who initially followed Jesus. But then they turned to an incredibly sinful life. One source says they led, “lives of unrestrained indulgence”, which sadly sounds a lot like some parts of America today! Still another source says, “many worshipped other gods, ate food sacrificed to idols, indulged in sexually immortal behaviors”…

But personally I think that their greatest sin, was they never repented. They took advantage of God’s Great Mercy and Christ’s Great sacrifice. The thought they could reap the benefits of both and continue to live anyway they wanted. Do anything they wanted. And that’s just not true.

At times, we all struggle with sin. Sometimes we even commit the same sins again. And that’s alright, because God always forgives a person who sincerely seeks forgiveness through Jesus Christ. But each person needs to seek Christ while on this earth.

And confession and repentance, besides saving us ?, are good for us. They free us! Jesus never meant for us to be weighed down by the guilt of yesterday. He loves us ?

So for our own sake, we need to confess and repent every day. And be Free 🙂

Sin & Prayer

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”-Isaiah 59:1-2

Iniquities are defined as “grossly immoral or unfair behavior”. Sometimes these sins are ones we commit; sometimes they are sins of omission. Sometimes we don’t even recognize that we have sinned, but that doesn’t mean we have not.

This is truly a difficult subject to understand. And sometimes a subject we don’t want to understand. But “God is not a God of confusion”.

The above verse is pretty self-explanatory on its face. Our sin does separate us from God. There’s no getting around that. When we choose to lead a sinful life; we choose to separate ourselves from God. After all, it’s not like we don’t have access to Bibles in this country ?. So knowing what behavior is sinful and what behavior is not – is a pretty easy task, if we choose to read the Bible. And that’s the thing-God gives us that choice, for God gave us that freedom!

But there are a few things this verse does not refer to. It does not refer to the person who has previously sinned and is calling out to our Lord both for forgiveness and help in Jesus’ Name. He is so happy to hear from you and He loves you! To learn more read the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

And it does not refer to the person who commits a sin and asks for forgiveness in Jesus’ Name. That sin is already forgiven! God hears you and God loves you!

In the coming days, regardless as to who wins the election, we will face much evil. In fact, we already do; we are surrounded by it. “War may be at the door, but Jesus already won!”

Which is exactly why we need to walk closely with God-every day! For Our Hope & Our Help Comes From The Lord. Pray. Be The Light. ?

Indonesia: The Blessing :)

The Practice of Prayer :)

One might ask, “Don’t we just pray? Why do we to need practice?”.

I don’t know about you, but my mind sometimes tends to wander when I pray, which is why I need to practice, lol. Real prayer should be concentrated, intense. You are talking with the Lord of Lords, and that requires respect. And one way we can show our respect is to concentrate on our Father and our Prayers to Him.

One great way I have found of practicing is to say the Rosary. If forces me to contentrate for an extended time period. It has the Our Father, which Jesus taught us, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be To God… It helps me work on my concentration and focus while praying. But more than that, it occupies my mind while I lie in bed. Instead of worrying or thinking negative thoughts, I focus on my prayers :). Trust me, it’s a great help! And I am grateful for it!

When I was young, we referred to many of these types of prayers as “rote” prayers. In some ways these types of prayers were actually discouraged. Talking to God in a “normal” way was encouraged instead. But as I have grown older, I have found I need both! I need to talk with my Lord, but I also need these “rote” prayers as well. Because, believe it or not lol, sometimes I run out of things to say to God, and these prayers help me.

They help me in another way as well. There are times when I just don’t feel like praying. Times where perhaps I feel guilty for something I did, or something I didn’t do. But that is when I need to pray most of all!

So find your special prayer. There are many. The Our Father, the Rosary, the Apostle’s Creed, the Sinner’s Prayer, Psalm 31, Psalm 93…The list is endless 🙂

I know when my mind wanders during my prayers I feel so sorry, because God is so good and deserves better from me. That’s why some type of practice helps 🙂

Be The Light, Pray Today 🙂

“No Man Can Serve Two Masters!”

“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”-Luke 16:13 KJV

First of all, what is “mammon”? Some say it is the pursuit of great wealth. Still others say it is evil. Either way, this Bible verse simply says you can not serve both.

Does that mean you can not pursue material comfort for your family. No. But it does mean that serving God must come first! And we have to be very careful that we actually see the truth of what we are doing:

“He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.”-Luke 16:15

Because we are human, it is so easy for us to fool ourselves. To convince ourselves, for example, that our pursuit of wealth is for the sake of another (often our families). Or that we deserve it, lol. But the truth is all good gifts come from God, and that is something we need to recognize and honor.

If you struggle with putting other things first, whether it is your family, money, a bad habit, a particular sin… I do too 🙂

But together, we need to put God first, for He put us first 🙂

And remember what it says in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

What Can I Do For God?

Help the “least of these”

This morning while driving to work, I saw a man walking in the rain. He had no protection and clearly a long way to go.

Another day, I saw a homeless person. Hungry, dirty and obviously exhausted.

Still another day I saw an elderly person struggling to get their groceries in the car.

What can we do for God? We can pray for them. We can help the homeless and we can carry groceries. We can love the “least of these”, as Christ does 🙂

It matters not how an individual came to be suffering; it simply matters that they are suffering. We are all God’s Children. And we all make our own fair share of mistakes, but God loves us all-and so should we.

So this week, help someone, anyone. Give someone hope. Offer someone comfort. Love them like Jesus does 🙂

Guardian Angels Are Real & Our Lord Sends Them To Help Us :)

What do Guardian Angels do? As the name implies, they guard and protect us. They also “present prayer to God on our behalf”! A Guardian Angel can be assigned to a person or a nation. They can be assigned to a church. They are found in the Jewish faith and the Christian faith. They are in the New Testament and the Old Testament. Guardian Angels sometimes carry us. Jesus spoke of Guardian Angels Himself! Jesus said,

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”-Matthew 18:10 KJV

St. Faustina, a Polish nun, actually saw her Guardian Angel. She described her Angel in this way: “a beautiful presence of light.” She also referred to her Guardian Angel as a “him”.

Many wonder, “why don’t Guardian Angels protect us from ALL suffering?” The answer to that question is quite simple. Guardian Angels do not protect us from suffering that leads to spiritual growth. And as we all know, spiritual growth is necessary. So necessary, that it has been said “you are either growing or dieing”.

So our Guardian Angel protect us, guides us and pray for us… It’s hard to imagine how we can thank them enough, but we can ask God to send them a Special Blessing and let them know how much we appreciate their help. And we can thank God for sending them to help us and thank our Guardian Angel as well. ?

So if you feel at all alone or in need, talk to your Guardian Angel, for you are never alone. Your Guardian Angel is always with you!

I am grateful every day for my Guardian Angel’s help. And I thank God for sending my Guardian Angel, and I thank my Guardian Angel as well. Truly, I feel Blessed ?

“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. ²¹Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.” – Exodus 23:20-21, ESV

What Happens To Pastors Who Lead Their Church Astray?

According to The Hill, the Pope has called for civil unions for homosexual people through out the world. This is wrong and goes against all God has taught. In still another article, the Pope is alledged to have told someone that “God made him gay”. This is also wrong.

Pastors who lead their church astray are subject to especially harsh judgement by the Lord because they lead so many of God’s people astray, in some cases causing them to be separated from God. Please pray for the Pope, for he has committed a grave sin indeed. And pray especially for all of the people that he misleads. And many will be misled. Pray that they will first seek the kingdom of God, and all else second. And please pray that the Holy Spirit will help them to see the truth, no matter what the Pope says.

The Bible covers this issue in the below verses; there are more.

“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.” – Jeremiah 23:1

“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly”-James 3:1

As for our Catholic brothers and sisters. Remember this, they are our sisters and brothers and can not be faulted for what one man has said, or even for the sins of one man. Being truly Catholic is a calling, just as being truly Evangelical is. For we are all called by Christ. Just because one man has fallen, does not mean every person of the Catholic faith has fallen. For Christ will always be the only true Pastor of our church. And the church is simply all those who truly follow Jesus.

Please pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ that they may continue to see the truth and follow Jesus, that we may all meet in Heaven – together for forever 🙂